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Osteosarcoma

by amymatthews - February 16, 2010

...in a 9 year old 158 pound dog with a pale tongue. The tumor is in the distal radius, of course it could be something besides an osteosarcoma. His pulse was deep and yet had this slapping quality to it. He responded nicely to what I think of as blood support Shu points (BL17,BL18,BL20).

Is this a XFZYT candidate case? I'm not sure how to proceed, he's not a typical cancer presentation at our clinic!

Thanks as always, looks like you're getting slammed with cases today, and at least at the moment the computer has doubled all the recent entries...have fun!

Amy

by naturevet

February 17, 2010

Hi Amy,

Yes, the forum seems to be popular today. An added challenge for me, too, since I'm away lecturing and so it's harder to stay on top of things. Hopefully people will cut me a little break over the next couple of weeks.

Regarding your case, I like your thinking. I think XFZYT is a fine place to start.

Check back in over the next couple of weeks. If the dog needs something else, points, pulses and symptoms that guide you should emerge by then.

If there are active GB points, or the lesion is on the TH meridian, then a formula called Chai Hu Si Wu Tang is a possibility as well. It basically moves Blood stasis due to Blood deficiency in the TH channel.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Steve

by amymatthews

February 25, 2010

Thanks so much. He's been on XFZYT (nothing added) for a week now, and his tongue is now peeled (MORE yin deficient?!), pulse is more rapid and superficial now (slapping quality re-emerged when I added SP10, went away when I sedated SP10).

So, more Yin Def with Def Fire on XFZYT? Any thoughts?

Thanks as always, no rush.

Amy

by naturevet

February 26, 2010

SP 10 moves and cools Blood when sedated. I'm wondering if that's what's needed here. Do you know the formula Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang? You could try it. An even better choice that I'd be tempted to use is Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin. It moves and cools Blood and transforms Phlegm (that might be contributing to the tumor).

Yin deficiency, if present, should have responded well, or at least partially, to XFZYT. So given the SP 10, I'm wondering if the tongue is a red herring. But if you're certain, then a Blood moving and cooling formula that nourishes Yin is Qing Ying Tang. So one of those two, QYT or XFHMY would be where I'd go next.

Hope that's a little helpful. XFHMY has anti-neoplastic activity, in case you were wondering, for appendicular tumors. QYT is theoretically more helpful in leukemia, but I'd hate to limit your choice on that basis alone.

Steve

by amymatthews

February 26, 2010

Ooh, given the severe stifle DJD and the fact that this dog is a lab, plus the appendicular tumor, the XFHMY looks really attractive.

Thanks!!

Amy

by amymatthews

June 14, 2010

Followup:
We tried the XFHMY, but no obvious benefit for this patient. This dog continued to progress and was euthanized about a month later. It was a bad combination of heavy body weight, arthritis, and osteosarcoma to battle - it was the difficulty relieving his pain that caused the owners to choose euthanasia.

Thanks as always for your input in these cases!

Amy

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